Archive for 2009 Planning Mill Red Wine

Four years ago, Chef Joe Brown moved his New Orleans themed restaurant from Cherry Hill to Haddonfield. Although I had been to the Cherry Hill location a couple of times this would be my first visit to the Haddonfield location.

I liked the interior of Melange. Dark chocolate walls and lots of jazz themed prints of New Orleans gave this Cajun eatery a nice southern feel to it.

I had a wine with me that not only was unfamiliar to me, I wasn’t even sure where I got it. The 2009 Planning Mill Red, Columbia Valley, Washington is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon (65%) with some Syrah, Malbec, Merlot and Cab Franc thrown in. I thought it was surprisingly good for the the price (about $12.00, I think). My wife, Kathy, also was impressed with this one. Joe had a 2009 Mario Ercolino, Sassarello, Sicily. I didn’t try this one but neither Joe nor Carol seemed impressed with this bottle.

I am so far behind in my reviews (it’s now 7 weeks since I began writing this one) that I am going to do some abbreviated reviews in order to try and catch up.

For our appetizers Kathy and I shared the Baked Lobster Mac n Cheese which I thought was terrific and Kathy thought was OK.

Joe had the their signature Tomato Crab Bisque infused with sherry. It looked good and he gave it a thumbs up.

For her entree Kathy chose the Baked Chicken and Shrimp served over whole wheat linguine and the chicken was moist and flavorful. The shrimp huge and nicely done.

I selected the Buttermilk Fried Breast of Chicken with Bourbon Mashed Sweet Potatoes topped with Country Ham Gravy. I thought the dish was perfect. The chicken was great and the sweet potatoes went well as a accompaniment.

We finished off an excellent meal by passing around a Kahlua Pound Cake with Vanilla Ice Cream.

I love the menu at melange. It’s chock full of interesting items all prepared with a tangy, spicy Louisiana flare. I know my love affair with all things Cajun isn’t shared by all but it’s always a treat for me when I get the opportunity to enjoy this type of cooking done well as it is at Melange.